This invention relates to an assembly and a method for cleaning soiled food containers, utensils, trays etc., and for enabling a tray to be assembled with a required complement of wares, e.g. bowls or other food containers and utensils and filling the containers with food. This invention has applicability in any large institution or organization including airlines, hospitals, other health care institutions and the like.
It has long been known to provide meals for aircraft passengers, by preparing the food in a ground facility or kitchen, and for each passenger, assembling a tray comprising the necessary bowls, plates, utensils with the food already placed in the bowls etc. This is done for the simple reason that the compact space and weight limitations of aircraft simply do not permit of anything beyond simple reheating and serving of food. Accordingly, much expertise has been developed in promptly assembling meals in this manner, even in relatively large quantities, and arranging for their delivery immediately prior to the departure of flight, to ensure that the food is relatively fresh.
Many large institutions have also had a requirement to prepare meals or food in large quantities, and arrange, in effect, for each meal to be delivered individually to a person. This commonly arises in hospitals and Institutions caring for elderly people. Traditionally, such institutions would have a kitchen on site, and the meals would be prepared, and delivered from the kitchen immediately by a cart or cart to the patients.
More recently, for such institutions, it has been recognized that there are advantages to preparing meals or food in a more systematic way, possibly even using an external facility, so that the food is then prepared and delivered in a manner analogous to the preparation and delivery of airline meals. Equipment has been developed which enables trays to be loaded with some food which is to be served warm, e.g. a traditional hot meal, and other items e.g. dairy products, which are to be kept cold. Such trays are provided with a central divider, separating the tray into two halves. Such trays are then loaded into a special container or cart which is provided with ducting, so that one side of each tray can be chilled with cold air, and immediately prior to handing out the trays to the individuals, the other side of each tray has warm or hot air passed over it to reheat or rethermalize the food on that side.
However, a fundamental problem with any such technique is the handling of the wares, and in this specification including the claims, the term xe2x80x9cwaresxe2x80x9d encompasses trays, plates, bowls, cups, utensils and any other reusable items necessary to deliver food and beverage. There is the problem of assembling the wares to make up complete or loaded trays and the handling of soiled, returned wares. The traditional approach, used by flight kitchens for airlines and the like is to treat the two operations of cleaning soiled wares and preparing fresh trays as entirely separate.
Thus, a conventional kitchen, for preparing of airline meals, soiled trays etc., are commonly received in standard carts. These are unloaded, and the individual wares, i.e. trays, bowls, cups, knives and forks are separated and placed on a conveyor, which takes them through a large washing and drying unit, where the wares are washed and dried. At the exit from this unit, the individual items are collected, stacked and placed in separate storage. Usually, the wares are quite warm as a result of the washing and drying process, but this is not a disadvantage where the wares are placed in storage, and indeed there may even be benefits in driving off any remaining moisture.
Here, it should be born in mind that each airline usually has their own line of crockery or utensils, bearing the airline""s insignia. Consequently in these kitchens, there is the need to handle a wide variety of different bowls, plates and other wares, and to keep these separate. Also, even for any one airline, there is usually a difference between the wares used for tourists or ordinary class passengers and that used in business or first class, which again increases the number of different types of wares that have to be stored and handled. Thus, it is common for a flight kitchen to have a relatively large storage area where all of the different types of wares etc. are stored.
When it is desired to prepare food for a particular flight, the appropriate trays, crockery and other wares are pulled from storage, and delivered to a separate section of the flight kitchen. There, individual trays are made up, commonly comprising a tray, a number of bowls, cups, cutlery and condiments. The cutlery may either be reusable, commonly stainless steel cutlery or disposable plastic cutlery. In either case, it is common for the necessary items of cutlery to be separately packaged, often with individual packets of condiments and the like, or enclosed in a plastic bag. As a matter of convenience in assembling the tray, the bag containing these various items is often placed on the tray at the end of the assembly process. The tray with the bowls is passed along a conveyor belt or line, and the individual food items are placed on it sequentially, both to enable the trays to be assembled quickly, and to ensure consistency and uniformity.
Depending upon the exact timing, the completed trays may be dispatched immediately from delivery to an aircraft, or alternatively may be held in a large, refrigerated storage facility. It should also be born in mind that passengers often have requirements for specific meals, to meet dietary requirements, religious laws and the like. These, usually, must be prepared individually, and then stored with the main part of the shipment, for delivery to the individual aircraft.
Generally similar techniques are used, when preparing food for hospitals and other institutions. The main difference is that, for airline use, the trays, bowls etc. are often quite compact, and airline passengers recognize and accept that compact equipment has to be used in the confined space of an aircraft On the other hand, wares for use in hospitals and the like are usually or more conventional dimensions, so as to be significantly larger than those found on aircraft. This, in turn, creates complexity if a kitchen is to be conFIg.d to handle all types of wares. As noted, it is also becoming more common, for such institutional use, to provide trays, which often will be much larger than airline trays, with a central divider separating the tray into two parts, to enable both hot and cold food to be delivered simultaneously.
Accordingly, the inventors of the present invention have recognized that it is desirable to provide a more streamlined and efficient way of handling these wares. More particularly, the present inventors have realized that it is desirable to break the handling of the wares down into distinct parallel lines in order to permit greater specialization and focus on the specific wares, and to save time in reassembling the wares.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an assembly for washing soiled wares and providing the wares for refilling and reuse, the assembly comprising:
a sorter station for receiving soiled wares to an for sorting the wares into baskets:
a discharge station for removing clean wares from the baskets and reassembling wares into sets of wares;
a substantially continuous conveyor means extending between the sorter station and the discharge station and back from the discharge station to the input station, for conveying baskets with wares,
a washing and drying means provides on the conveyor means;
a cooling means provided on the conveyor means; and
a refilling station, at the discharge station, for refilling the wares, the refilling station having a plurality of distinct refilling lines for refilling the wares, the wares being directable to any one of the distinct refilling lines;
wherein the input station, conveyor means, washing and drying means, and cooling means are arranged such that baskets containing sets of wares are sequentially subject to washing, drying and cooling between the input and discharge stations.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an assembly for washing soiled wares and providing the wares fir refilling in use, the assembly comprising:
a first line for receiving soiled wales, washing soiled wares, drying washed wares, refilling the wares providing refilled wares on trays and stocking the trays in first carts;
a second line for washing the first carts for the wares; and
a commissary zone for at least restocking second carts with commissary goods.
Advantageously, each of the plurality of refilling lines is for refilling the wares with different contents. To enable greater throughput, some of the refilling lines preferably comprise two refiller locations on either side of a conveyor.
A third aspect of the present invention provides a method of washing wares for food an filling the wares with food, the method comprising:
(a) receiving sets of soiled wares, each set comprising a plurality of wares intended to be used together for one individual;
(b) passing the wares through a washing and drying means, in which the wares are washed and dried;
(c) ensuring that the wares ate cooled down to a temperature low enough to permit immediate refilling of the wares with food;
(d) dividing the wares based on food to be filled on the wares;
(e) reassembling the wares into sets; and
(f) refilling the wares with food, whereby each set is ready for delivery to an individual;
wherein steps (a) to (c) are carried out substantially sequentially, and steps (a) to (f) are carried out substantially continuously.
further aspect of the present invention provides a basket for conveying at least one set of wares, including a tray and containers for food, the basket having a generally open structure to permit free flow of water and air, and the basket comprising:
a base portion for supporting the basket on a conveyor; and
a frame for holding a set of wares;
wherein the frame is insertable onto the base portion, and may be changed to accommodate different sets of wares.
Preferably, the basket includes frame attachment means for attaching the frame to the base portion.